{"id":2336586,"date":"2024-09-04T12:19:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T16:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sony-shuts-down-video-game-that-pushed-pronouns-and-dei-after-mere-weeks\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T12:30:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T16:30:37","slug":"sony-shuts-down-video-game-that-pushed-pronouns-and-dei-after-mere-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sony-shuts-down-video-game-that-pushed-pronouns-and-dei-after-mere-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Shuts Down Video Game That Pushed Pronouns and \u2018DEI\u2019 After Mere Weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsony-shuts-down-video-game-that-pushed-pronouns-and-dei-after-mere-weeks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2336586&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The recent \u200dannouncement\u200d regarding the\u2062 multiplayer arena shooter game &#8220;Concord&#8221; has sent\u2063 shockwaves through the gaming community. Sony revealed\u2063 that the game, developed by Firewalk Studios, will be \u2064taken \u2063offline just two weeks after\u200c its launch on August 23, 2024, citing a variety of factors for its underwhelming performance, including sales estimates of only 25,000 units sold and a\u200c peak of 697 concurrent players.<\/p>\n<p>At a staggering budget of approximately $200 million, &#8220;Concord&#8221; aimed to compete with heavy-hitters in the genre\u200b like &#8220;Overwatch 2&#8221; and &#8220;Valorant.&#8221; However, its selling price of $40 raised eyebrows as the genre typically leans\u200d towards free-to-play models supported \u200cby\u200d microtransactions.\u2063 The\u200d game&#8217;s intent to provide a more substantial upfront experience\u200c while avoiding in-game purchases \u2064may not have sufficiently appealed to players, leaving \u200cit \u200bstruggling to gain\u200b traction.<\/p>\n<p>While many factors \u200dcontributed to the game&#8217;s failure, discussions have emerged regarding its perceived focus on &#8220;wokeness.&#8221; Critics \u200dhave pointed to\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-finds-video-games-with-sexualized-content-do-not-cause-misogynistic-attitudes-or-body-image-issues\/\" title=\"Study Finds \u201cVideo Games with Sexualized Content\u201d Do Not Cause Misogynistic Attitudes or Body Image Issues\">character designs<\/a>\u2063 and narratives that\u200d seem heavily influenced by diversity and inclusion initiatives. \u2064The backlash was particularly pronounced following\u200d character reveals that included extensive identification of pronouns and DEI-centric designs, which some \u200dgamers found off-putting.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a mixed reception from critics with a Metacritic score of 62, player sentiment was significantly lower, illustrated by a user\u200c score of just\u200c 1.8. This disparity often \u200csignals a disconnect between media approval and\u200b public reception, commonly\u200d linked\u2064 to the game\u2019s thematic approach or perceived agendas.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of &#8220;Concord,&#8221; the combination\u2062 of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ca-governor-breaks-his-own-covid-rules-to-eat-fancy-french-food\/\" title=\"Ca. Governor Breaks His Own COVID Rules To Eat Fancy French Food\">high price tag<\/a>, a crowded marketplace, and themes that some players deemed overly progressive may explain its rapid decline. The gaming industry has seen similar recoveries, as with titles like &#8220;No Man\u2019s Sky,&#8221; which initially struggled but eventually found success after significant \u2063updates.\u2062 However, \u200cthe future of &#8220;Concord&#8221; remains uncertain as Sony now engages in deliberation on how\u2064 best \u2063to proceed, including offering refunds to players.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the situation invites broader discussions about the intersections of game \u2063design, marketing strategies, and the cultural narratives \u2064embedded within contemporary gaming.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Well, that didn&rsquo;t last long.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Concord,&rdquo; if you&rsquo;re not a gamer, was supposed to be one of the big releases heading into the fall. The Sony PlayStation 5 and PC title, developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, was eight years in the works. It was a so-called &ldquo;hero shooter&rdquo; &mdash; a genre of multiplayer arena shooter games in which each of the characters have distinctive designs and gameplay characteristics.<\/p>\n<p>Rumors had its budget reaching as high as $200 million. It was supposed to be competing with blockbuster titles in the genre like &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/opinion-wasnt-just-mental-illness-another-sickness-infecting-gamers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Overwatch 2<\/a>&rdquo; and &ldquo;Valorant.&rdquo; Instead, less than two weeks after its Aug. 23 launch, Sony is pulling the plug &mdash; and some are blaming the game&rsquo;s overweening, unapologetic wokeness for its failure.<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Concord - Launch Trailer I PS5 &amp; PC Games\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xQB_2FF2G1o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>In a Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.playstation.com\/2024\/09\/03\/an-important-update-on-concord\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on Sony&rsquo;s website, Firewalk Studios game director Ryan Ellis said that &ldquo;while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn&rsquo;t land the way we&rsquo;d intended.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take [&lsquo;Concord&rsquo;] offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While we determine the best path ahead, &lsquo;Concord&rsquo; sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC. If you purchased the game for PlayStation 5 from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct, a refund will be issued back to your original payment method.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Now, let&rsquo;s start out with the fact that &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; didn&rsquo;t necessarily fail&nbsp;<em>only<\/em> because of its blatant wokeness &mdash; and that&rsquo;s what the gaming media is leaning on when reporting this epic disaster.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; cost $40 a copy in a genre that&rsquo;s typically free-to-play &mdash; meaning that the developer makes the game itself free while generating income from in-game purchases, like &ldquo;Overwatch 2&rdquo; and &ldquo;Valorant.&rdquo; &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; was supposed to offer a more robust experience that justified the initial cost &mdash; as well as removed as many pesky microtransactions, the bane of every gamer&rsquo;s existence &mdash; as possible by having people pay up front.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, that didn&rsquo;t work; <a href=\"http:\/\/ign.com\/firewalk-studios-probablymonsters-project\/220112\/news\/concord-is-estimated-to-have-sold-only-25000-units-heres-why-analysts-think-its-failing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IGN<\/a> noted the game sold a measly 25,000 units after launch and that the highest number of players logged on simultaneously that could be counted was 697. Considering that the game is meant to be&nbsp;<em>played online<\/em>, that&rsquo;s an issue.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I don&rsquo;t think Concord isn&rsquo;t selling because of the $40 price point or weak marketing. It&rsquo;s pretty simple: it&rsquo;s not a good game, so nobody is buying it. Sea of Thieves is also $40 on PlayStation, but has reportedly sold over 1 million copies because it&rsquo;s matured into a great game <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PQlAOXWz6Q\">pic.twitter.com\/PQlAOXWz6Q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tom Warren (@tomwarren) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tomwarren\/status\/1829833088521671161?\">August 31, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  Furthermore, reviews were good, but the mixed sort of good. It received a 62 on review aggregator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metacritic.com\/game\/concord\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Metacritic<\/a> &mdash; which isn&rsquo;t spectacular, but also usually isn&rsquo;t the kind of critical consensus a game receives when it almost immediately gets pulled from distribution. It wasn&rsquo;t an unplayable glitchfest or a title that went horribly wrong somewhere in the development pipeline and couldn&rsquo;t be salvaged no matter how long it was delayed. The most common gripe was that, while the game was good, there <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elons-trans-son-gives-raging-response-after-musk-says-he-was-killed-by-the-woke-mind-virus-slightly-autistic\/\" title=\"Elon&#039;s Trans Son Gives Raging Response After Musk Says He was &#039;Killed by the Woke Mind Virus&#039; - &#039;Slightly Autistic&#039;\">simply wasn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t enough to differentiate it from titles like it.<\/p>\n<p>Well &mdash; there was <em>one<\/em> thing to differentiate it. And, yes, that&rsquo;s the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/conan-obrien-zach-woods-office-call-hyper-wokeness-hollywood-hypocrites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wokeness<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It was known for months up to the release of &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; that the game was going to feel like an insufferable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-look-insane-50-woke-game-developers-scream-sky-dei-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DEI seminar<\/a> with guns. Take this post, from May, after some of the character reveals:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">PlayStation&rsquo;s new hero 5V5 PVP Shooter Concord is full of diverse character designs &amp; they even have their pronouns listed below their name ( see top right )<\/p>\n<p>Who is this game for exactly? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XEMQFNMxQ5\">https:\/\/t.co\/XEMQFNMxQ5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Endymion (@EndymionYT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndymionYT\/status\/1796355061377073584?\">May 31, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to geek-centric website <a href=\"https:\/\/thatparkplace.com\/concord-developer-addresses-massive-backlash-to-game-after-it-was-revealed-it-pushes-pronoun-nonsense-and-features-dei-character-designs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">That Park Place<\/a>, one character had their pronouns as &ldquo;undecided.&rdquo; It was blatantly obvious, as the writer noted, that &ldquo;the characters have clearly been created to adhere to woke, DEI character designs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">These were some of the characters in a newly released video game called &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; by Sony which cost up to $US200 million to develop. Purchasers were so disgusted, Sony had to pull the game and offer full refunds. Go woke, go broke. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mB0NRwnDyh\">pic.twitter.com\/mB0NRwnDyh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; War Against Woke &#127462;&#127482; (@jgrogan222) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jgrogan222\/status\/1831122119817891899?\">September 4, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This is honestly so funny. Sony went all in on a woke video game called Concord that has obese nonbinary characters and pronouns because they thought to pander to the woke crowd and they&rsquo;ve lost $200 million over it.<\/p>\n<p>Fewer than a thousand people even played it at the same time&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5yuUseMLyo\">pic.twitter.com\/5yuUseMLyo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stillgray\/status\/1828795856398516323?\">August 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Firewalk Studios&rsquo; Kim Kreines, the company&rsquo;s director of IP, doubled down on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/another-industry-falls-wokeness-japanese-manga-dominates-us-comic-book-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wokeness<\/a> after it drew fire, saying that &ldquo;[e]very character brings their own unique personality, skills, and wide-ranging perspectives to the crew.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every week when you log in to &lsquo;Concord,&rsquo; you will be welcomed with a new cinematic vignette that will give you a chance to see our characters off the job. They will feature ongoing narrative arcs that grow the characters&rsquo; stories and relationships and unpack the broader &lsquo;Concord&rsquo; galaxy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Well, not anymore, they won&rsquo;t.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, if the issue was the price, an immediate price cut and refunds for those who had bought it would be a more sensible path forward, moving the game toward a free-to-play model while still keeping it in the public eye and trying to foster some kind of user base.<\/p>\n<p>If the issue was that it was underwhelming or undifferentiated from other offerings, this isn&rsquo;t without precedent in the game industry. One might remember the infamous example of &ldquo;No Man&rsquo;s Sky,&rdquo; originally a PlayStation 4 and PC title that suffered a similar backlash upon release because gameplay wasn&rsquo;t what users had been led to expect it was from pre-launch footage and hype.<\/p>\n<p>The title was initially branded as a flop &mdash; but, slow and steady progress in improving the game model has turned it into a surprise cult success. It&rsquo;s averaged 15,411 players online at any given time over the past 30 days, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/steamcharts.com\/app\/275850\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SteamCharts.org<\/a>. That&rsquo;s 14,714 more than a brand-new PS5\/PC release had&nbsp;<em>at its peak<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>So, yes, I&rsquo;d say wokeness may have played a part in this, particularly given that the user score on Metacritic &mdash; 1.8 out of 10 &mdash; is far lower than the critical score of 62 out of 100. Usually, when you see this kind of disparity, it&rsquo;s because a game, movie or show is trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/disney-fauci-doc-receives-one-lowest-audience-scores-history-rotten-tomatoes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">push some agenda<\/a> that people have reacted poorly to.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps &ldquo;Concord&rdquo; manages to be come the woke &ldquo;No Man&rsquo;s Sky&rdquo; and redeems itself, somehow, after a bit of rejiggering. Or perhaps it&rsquo;ll end up being a $200 million DEI sinkhole. You make the call, but my money&rsquo;s on the latter. What&rsquo;s that old saying? Go woke, go &hellip; something?<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p>   <script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It seems that &#8220;Concord,&#8221; a highly anticipated game for the Sony PlayStation 5 and PC, has not had a successful launch. Developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, this title was in development for eight years and was expected to be a major player in the hero shooter genre, which features unique characters with distinct abilities. With rumors of its budget reaching up to $200 million, it aimed to compete with popular titles like &#8220;Overwatch 2&#8221; and &#8220;Valorant.&#8221; However, less than two weeks after its release on August 23, Sony announced it would be discontinuing the game due to underwhelming performance\u2014some critics attribute this failure to its perceived excessive wokeness.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement on Tuesday from Firewalk Studios&#8217; game director Ryan Ellis, he acknowledged that while some aspects of the game resonated with players, others did not meet expectations. As a result, they decided to take &#8220;Concord&#8221; offline starting September 6, 2024. They will also halt sales immediately and offer full refunds for those who purchased it on PS5 or PC.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that while many are quick to blame the game&#8217;s overt wokeness for its poor reception\u2014something highlighted by gaming media\u2014the issues may run deeper. Priced at $40 in an industry where similar games often adopt free-to-play models supported by microtransactions (like &#8220;Overwatch 2&#8221; and &#8220;Valorant&#8221;), \u201cConcord\u201d aimed for an upfront payment model but failed to attract players; reports indicate only about 25,000 units were sold post-launch with peak concurrent players reaching just 697.<\/p>\n<p>Despite receiving mixed reviews\u2014with a Metacritic score of 62\u2014it wasn&#8217;t considered unplayable or fundamentally flawed; rather critics noted it lacked distinguishing features compared to other games in the genre. The game&#8217;s marketing emphasized diversity among characters but drew criticism as well; some felt it resembled more of an insufferable DEI seminar than an engaging gaming experience.<\/p>\n<p>While some argue that price cuts or transitioning towards a free-to-play model could have salvaged \u201cConcord,\u201d others believe its core gameplay simply didn\u2019t resonate enough with audiences. Comparisons have been made between \u201cConcord\u201d and titles like \u201cNo Man\u2019s Sky,\u201d which initially faced backlash but later found success through updates and improvements over time.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, while wokeness may have contributed negatively\u2014as indicated by user scores significantly lower than critic scores\u2014it&#8217;s uncertain whether \u201cConcord\u201d can recover from this setback or if it&#8217;ll remain another costly misstep in gaming history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2336587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/concord.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[16574,6931,17563,35198],"class_list":["post-2336586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dei","tag-pronouns","tag-sony","tag-video-games"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/concord.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2336587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}